Steve Austin on John Cena Gimmick Infringement

[FlairFan2003]

I read this article, with a snippet from an actual interview Austin did, and just had to post a response.

What on earth is "Gimmick Infringement" - Cena, who acts and dresses nothing like Austin, does one of his favorite moves and it's "Infringemment" ???

I think it's "Infringement" when a character is made to look and act VERY similar to another famous character....Like the obvious comparisons between Ryback & Goldberg or Hulk Hogan & Billy Graham. By using a move that someone else uses regularly (even as a finisher) this is how somehow "Infringement" ????


So when Austin stole "The Diamond Cutter" from DDP and started calling it his "Stone Cold Stunner" he was clearly infringing on DDP right ?

How about when Austin started using the Spinebuster....clear Infringement on Arn Anderson right ?

Or Chris Jericho using Rick Martel's Boston Crab as his finisher and calling it the "Walls Of Jericho" ?

It's definitely Infringement every time Brett Hart finished a match with Sting's Scorpion Death Lock move isn't it ?

Of course Hart loved using The Figure Four leglock too....guess he was Infringing on Ric Flair....or was it Greg Valentine (I think he infringed on Flair)....or was Tito Santana....or was it Buddy Rogers .... I cant keep track.

Clearly Edge should be held for Infringement for stealing Goldberg's Spear Move Finisher right ?

Come to think of it....didn't Kevin Nash steal the power bomb from Sid....or did Scott Hall steal The Razor's Edge from Undertaker....or was it vice versa, I cant keep track here either.....

Certain moves will always be associated with the wrestler who most made them famous....others are common moves done by many others.... Bottom Line (as Austin would say) is that the moves are not the sole property of one wrestler and it isn't "Infringement" on anyone's gimmick to use a certain move.

In fact, I seem to remember Austin, in addition to using both DDP & Arn Anderson's finishers as primary moves in his offense he also used the Figure Four on occasion....I think he used The Sleeper Hold too so he must have been "Infringing" on Roddy Piper...or was it Verne Gagne....or Hiro Matsuda....come to think of Brett Hart, Ric Flair, & Barry Whyndam used to use it too, sounds like a lot of "Infringement" there.

Do fans really care if some random wrestler occasionally uses a move associated with someone else or is Austin a little off the mark here (and maybe just a touch hypocritical) ?

 

[That N Word]

Hopefully, he is not really insinuating that because this is "Pro Wrestling." In this sport, everyone does everyone's moves, hell Austin took the stunner form Michael Wripwreck.

I may be wrong and more than likely is, but with this whole Austin having "problems" with WWE and them teasing one more match from him. I think it's possible we could see this turning into something that leads to a clash between the two icons at WrestleMania 32. I hope it does, but who would go heel is the question??? Austin seems like the heel wining about a move that he stole his self. But Cena, has appointed he has no problem going heel and he should.

IF this match happens and WWE play's the card rights...then next year's WrestleMania could have the potential to be the greatest of all-time. If this is the line-up
- (WWE WHC) Rollins (c) vs. Reigns (RR winner again) vs. Ambrose (Mr.MITB)

-Sting vs The Undertaker (The Final Destination or The Last Ride

- John Cena vs Stone Cold (Legend vs Legend)

-The Rock /w/ Rousey vs. Triple H /w/ Stephanie

-Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton

-Kevin Owens (US champ) vs. Daniel Bryan (IC champ) (Title Unification)

-Ziggler,Neville,Sheamus,Balor in a #1 contenders ladder match for a future IC/US title oppurtunity at Extreme Rules.

-Bella's or two other top diva's vs. Trish/Lita

Kick off- Tag title match and Cesaro (face) vs Tyson Kidd /w/ Natalya

A guy can dream right!!! I think it to honestly to build toward or future match, to tease a match, or he really does have issues with WWE and wants to take it out on Cena

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Maybe I'm too new to wrestling, but I don't remember ever seeing Steve Austin springboarding off of the ropes to deliver a Stone Cold Stunner. I'm not sure how much fact went into an article like that, but it sounds pretty lame. I'd chalk it up to clickbait and go on with my life. You don't see Jake Roberts bitching about a luchador using a DDT. I don't think this has any legs to stand on.

 

[That N Word]

Maybe I'm too new to wrestling, but I don't remember ever seeing Steve Austin springboarding off of the ropes to deliver a Stone Cold Stunner. I'm not sure how much fact went into an article like that, but it sounds pretty lame. I'd chalk it up to clickbait and go on with my life. You don't see Jake Roberts bitching about a luchador using a DDT. I don't think this has any legs to stand on.

Hello, old rival lol. But exactly.... he didn't. So I don't get why he's bitching about it mainly when he stole the move his self.

 

[DCLXVI]

I think Austin just throws the word around a lot nowadays that he's out of wrestling - for example he calls bills "them little gimmicks you get in the mail called bills". For starters, the move comes from the Ace Crusher, which Johnny Ace/John Laurenitis created. Austin himself even says he brought him to the ring and showed him a variation on his Ace Crusher and at the time I believe Austin was using the "Stun Gun" or basically where he'd lift you up and drop you throat first against the ropes if I remember. Austin says he practiced the move the way Johnny Ace said and he came up with the little kick to the gut to put guys in position for it. I don't remember exactly but I think I remember DDP saying that the Diamond Cutter was Johnny Ace's move and the Ace Crusher. As another poster mentioned, Mikey Whipwreck was also using the Stunner as the Whipersnapper in ECW.

The one thing I can say is, I can kind of see where Austin's comments are coming from. He is arguably the best known WWE wrestler of all time next to Hogan... so it isn't like John Cena used a variant on some mid card older guys finish. It isn't like Jake the Snake's DDT where everyone pretty much uses it as a standard move. I was kind of surprised to see it myself, but John Cena being the type of guy he is - I'm sure meant no disrespect and if anything it was a tribute to Austin. Cena introduces little things into his offense from time to time even if he gets the "5 Moves of Doom" crap on the internet. If you think about it, most wrestlers in WWE have about 5 moves they use. Hell, Dean Ambrose I can't even name anymore than his finish, the jumping elbow, and the laying back into the ropes and springing forward with a clothesline.

I think it was a "just for WrestleMania" thing and even the announcers seemed thrown off of whether to call it a Stunner or not at first. Austin calls a lot of things in life and wrestling gimmicks.

 

[OYDK]

Does anybody actually read the articles on this site... It clearly says that Stone Cold has no problem with Cena using a variation of the Stunner, but would rather it be used as a finisher instead of just a regular move. Also, if you think Austin was using the term "gimmick infringement" seriously... come on, you obviously don't know Austin.

He says, "Had they looked further down the road than the short term, [Cena] would have had a valid, great, badass finish instead of a set-up that now means nothing.” Doesn't sound like a guy that's real upset about his "gimmick being infringed upon," does it? Y'all need to learn how to sense sarcasm.

 

[teampunk]

austin wasn't bitching about cena using the stunner. he was bitching because it's a technical move that should have been built up more. he said that cena should have used the move only on occation to get a three count.

 

[Papa Pillman]

So when Austin stole "The Diamond Cutter" from DDP and started calling it his "Stone Cold Stunner" he was clearly infringing on DDP right ?

Not to nitpick, but...
DDP "stole" the Diamond Cutter from Johnny Ace, the original version of the Diamond Cutter/RKO was the Ace Crusher.

And also, the Stunner is not an Ace Crusher at all, an Ace Crusher is a laid move, while a Stunner is a "sit-out" and is more of a variation on a jawbreaker.



As for Austin and the "gimmick infringement" argument, of course he won't say anything about it- he knows it is how wrestling works, and as far as accusations of such thievery go, he himself would have no leg to stand-on:

I think it's "Infringement" when a character is made to look and act VERY similar to another famous character....Like the obvious comparisons between Ryback & Goldberg or Hulk Hogan & Billy Graham.

Austin is guilty of the same heist. During his short buffer run with ECW before transitioning to WWE, Austin battled over that company's world title with Sandman and Mikey Whipwreck.

Upon adopting the "Stone Cold" character in WWE Austin took not only took the Stunner from Whipwreck who had innovated it as the "Whippersnapper", but also basically Sandman's entire persona as well. Austin's gear, attitude, and the beer-swigging were all borrowed to some degree from Sandman.

 

[mizowns]

I have seen WWE wrestler using Hulk Hogans legdrop.

Doing it from the top rope - a flying legdrop.

John Cena does it, Rey Mysterio, many others, is it a gimmick infringement against Hulk Hogan? Nope.

 

[XXJJ]

If Cena kicked someone in the stomach and then gave him a stunner then it would be gimmick infringement. I don't really see the big deal in him doing a slingshot stunner and having wrestlers kicking out at 2. He is not doing a "Stone Cold Stunner"

No one does Hogan's leg drop in the WWE, but I've seen plenty of wrestlers do a leg drop from the 2nd or top rope and people kick out of it. It is essentially the same thing.

The ace cutter is a perfect example. DDP starting using it and now Orton's RKO added a variation to the ace cutter by making it a jumping cutter and it is the most over finisher currently in the WWE.

Wrestling has been around for a long time. Every wrestling move has been done. There are only so many ways you can throw or flip another human being. If someone adds a little variation to a previous move it is not a big deal and the person who did the move previously shouldn't complain. Austin didn't invent the stunner.

 

[Navi]

I actually like Cena doing the Springboard Stunner, he does it quite well. The first time I saw him do it, it made me sit up and go "Shit he's using another move", haven't done that with Cena in years, so it worked for me. Made me interested in him again. So he can keep going with it, I like it. Yea and I don't remember Austin jumping off the rope either, didn't he just used to kick the guy in the stomach first.

 

[Pedigree1]

Its not infringement at all! SCSA should know more so than anyone as a wrestler you have to adapt,have new moves every so often.. Every wrestler on planet earth past present and in the future will borrow some wrestlers move from time to time..

I dont know what SCSA was talking about to be honest! Cena doesn't wear black boots to the ring,no knee braces,he does wear shorts though but has since day one! His springboard stunner is quite cool actually.. Its a new move,taking away from the naysayers who say he has only five moves of doom.. I don't recall Austin ever going to the rope to use his finishing move..

Nor do I recall Cena flipping the bird to someone kicking them in the stomach and giving them the stunner

 

[Headman]

I read the article but didn't listen to the actual show. Was Austin being serious about gimmick infringement? Sounds like they were kidding around to me. What I read was that Austin complimented Cena's timing for being able to pull the move off but criticized Cena and the WWE for having the move be just another move to be kicked out of before Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment. That's valid. I think Cena could really be onto something with his springboard stunner. And it seems like Austin thinks so as well.

 

[WWEWrestleFest]

Wasn't "Stone Cold" Steve Austin a gimmick infringement of Bad News Brown?

 

[Headman]

Wasn't "Stone Cold" Steve Austin a gimmick infringement of Bad News Brown?

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin infringes on both the gimmicks of Brian Bosworth and Lee Majors. When he was born Austin's mother infringed on the gimmick of Dr Death Steve Williams. Austin has no room to talk. j/k

Seriously though, it's amazing how people latch onto the non point of the interview (the gimmick infringement joke) and blow it up to be the start of world war three between these two. Say... you think this could be the set up for Cena vs Austin at Wrestlemania? Nah.

 

[Mustang Sally]

austin wasn't bitching about cena using the stunner. he was bitching because it's a technical move that should have been built up more. he said that cena should have used the move only on occation to get a three count.

I keep thinking it's got to be hard enough to perform your trade in front of thousands of people in front of you and millions (and millions!) more on TV......while wearing only a diaper and knowing the boss is hovering backstage, screaming into everyone's headset.....and figuring you're going to hear it later if you goof up a single move in an action-packed 15 minute performance.

All of that is one thing, but if a wrestler has to keep all those things in mind AND dissect each move as he's performing it to consider whether he's copying someone's move or hurting a legend's feelings......and not only that, but he also has to concern himself with the situation in which he's using a move that has sometime, somewhere been used by someone else........he'll probably wind up freezing in the ring and ending the evening in a psychiatric ward.

Piss off, Stone Cold. Remember how hard it was to do the stuff you did?

It's also hard for those who follow you.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Sounds to me like Austin was not criticising Cena but rather the creative/booking side of things. In which case he's right; this could have been an excellent new finishing move or something to make a deal of hype with, but instead commentary and match structure has been playing it more like "oh, cool."

 

[kadroan]

I'm hoping this is just something to get people talking, make it feel like a realistic beef like Rock/Cena, leading to a Cena/Austin match at WM 32. I got my fingers crossed.

 

[waylonmercy]

Move creation is something wrestlers should be proud of. I believe that when a wrestler creates a move, others should not use the move for atleast 1 year and at that point approach the wrestler and request their blessing before doing innovative moves especially finishers.

I don't see any gimmick infringement between Cena and Austin whatsoever. I don't for one second compare them at all. I would be more inclined after some thought to think of "Stone Cold" gimmick infringing on "Da Crusher" as both just enjoyed brawling, drinking beer etc. I didn't even know that John Cena does any moves that Steve Austin did.

Unless someone is blatantly stealing someone's gimmick and I don't even mean Ryback to Goldberg, because that isn't even gimmick theft, or anyone who debuts and has an undefeated streak of dominance similar to Goldberg, I don't think anyone should be making a big deal.

Gillberg to Goldberg
Nature Boy Buddy Landell to Nature Boy Ric Flair

Only real example I can think of quickly